College Writing I: ENG101E1
MWF 9:00-9:50 OM314
Professor Mead Autumn 2015
Introduction: “Writing” is a deceptively simple term for the skills and toils involved in college- and professional-level written communication. Just as reading is more than merely decoding the words on the page and registering sentence ideas, writing is a multi-level process of critical thought; audience awareness; style; correctness; tone; and drawing upon a large inventory of vocabulary, grammatical construction, and topical choices. This is hard work, but it will play off grandly in most of your future endeavors, academic and professional.
This class is based on the following assumptions:
Good writing is the product of critical thinking
Grammar actually matters, up to a point
The best learning occurs when a writer reads her own writing, learns what she is thinking, and improves upon it
Style is essential, not an add-on
You can only choose your writerly voice if you can first hear it
Good writing is the product of much re-writing
Intelligent reading precedes good writing (that’s why we’re reading books)
Class plan: Please come to class a few minutes early; try to have eaten, drunken, and visited the loo beforehand. Arrange the chairs in a circle and have the relevant materials at hand: writing instruments, notebook, textbook, etc. Expect to be called upon often and with the instructor’s increasingly elevated expectations. Take notes of everything. Class will sometimes be lecture (e.g. Grammar Fridays), but will most often be discussion of texts (both required books and student writing) and workshopping (e.g. edit sessions). Active participation is an important part of your final evaluation.
Required Texts:
The Boys in the Boat, Daniel James Brown
Wild, Cheryl Strayed
Into The Wild, Jon Krakauer
RECOMMENDED: How To Read A Book, Mortimer J. Adler
I encourage you to get these books in paperback, so you can mark them up!
Attendance: Students are expected to attend all class meetings. You have three free absences (I don’t count “excused” or “unexcused”), beyond which your final grade will suffer. Students who are required to miss more than three absences due to university commitments can usually work something out with the professor.
Students with special needs must inform the instructor in the first two weeks of classes, and he will make all reasonable accommodations.
Assignments:
Process Paper 10% ~900 words
Process Paper 10% ~900 words
SideXSide Paper 10% ~1200 words
5Sense Description 10% ~1200 words
Memoir 20% ~2000 words
Thesis 20% ~2000 words
Grammar Book 20%
Participation 10%
You must complete all assignments to pass the class. Late papers are subject to grade deflation!
Grammar Fridays & Grammar Book: Each Friday will be devoted to an aspect of grammar, punctuation, usage, style, etc. Students will take thorough notes and at the end of the semester, submit to the instructor a hand-made Grammar Notebook. You will be evaluated upon the completeness, correctness, durability, and beauty of the book. The book will of course be returned to you for your future use.
Office Hours: My office is OM312b. Walk-in times are MWF 10-11, 12-1; TR 8:30-9:30. I am also available by appointment. You may call me at 438-4336 or email me at smead@stmartin.edu, but I cannot promise to respond before the next class meeting.
Honesty: Even a cursory look out there will tell you that cheating is everywhere. If you let it into your heart, it will taint your every labor. Decide today what kind of person you are, for that is the person you will be. If I suspect that the work you submit is not yours, you will have to convince me I’m wrong, so keep every draft of your work, so you can demonstrate the process of your work. I love to be wrong in such circumstances, and besides, it will give you practice with presentations and public speaking (“Here, professor, I’ve laid out the changes my thesis went through after the first draft”). The dishonest student will fail the class and be reported to the Provost for further disciplinary action.
Syllabus
August
24 Monday Introduction
26 Wednesday The Boys in the Boat, pp. 1-80.
28 Friday Clauses & Phrases
31 Monday The Boys in the Boat, pp. 81-145.
September
2 Wednesday The Boys in the Boat, pp. 146-191.
4 Friday 4 Kinds of Sentences. Paper #1 Due.
7 Monday NO CLASSES
9 Wednesday The Boys in the Boat, pp. 192-319.
11 Friday The Comma.
14 Monday The Boys in the Boat, pp. 320-370.
16 Wednesday Wrap-up
18 Friday Semicolon & Colon
21 Monday Wild, pp. 1-44.
23 Wednesday Wild, pp. 45-115
25 Friday Voice: Passive & Active. Paper #2 Due.
28 Monday Wild, pp. 116-174.
30 Wednesday Wild, pp. 175-234
October
2 Friday Mood: Indicative, Imperative, Subjunctive.
5 Monday Wild, pp. 235-311.
7 Wednesday Wrap-up
9 Friday Verb Tenses (Well, 6 of Them)
12 Monday Fall Break. No Classes.
14 Wednesday Into the Wild, pp. 1-37.
16 Friday Nominalization. Paper #3 Due.
19 Monday Into the Wild, pp. 38-85.
21 Wednesday Into the Wild, pp. 86-126.
23 Friday Dash, Hyphen, Ellipsis, Parenthesis, & Brackets
26 Monday Into the Wild, pp. 127-156.
28 Wednesday Into the Wild, pp. 157-186.
30 Friday Review
November
2 Monday Into the Wild, pp. 187-203
4 Wednesday Wrap-up.
6 Friday Paper #4 Due.
9 Monday Student Presentations.
11 Wednesday Student Presentations.
13 Friday Student Presentations.
16 Monday Student Presentations.
18 Wednesday Student Presentations.
20 Friday Student Presentations.
23 Monday Conferences.
25 Wednesday Conferences.
27 Friday NO CLASSES.
30 Monday Conferences.
December
2 Wednesday Evaluations. Thesis Paper #5 Due.
7 Monday Grammar Books Due in my office.
